The West Springfield Police Department has recently received a LoJack Police Tracking Computer, to help combat and retrieve the number of car thefts in the area.

ABC 40 News’ Paul Mueller reports that 137 cars were stolen in West Springfield last year. LoJack is small, silent radio transceiver that is hidden within an owner’s vehicle. Once installed, the individual device has a registration number that is entered into a National Crime Information Computer database. When a vehicle is reported stolen, law enforcement agencies are able to pinpoint the device through the database and use the LoJack’s signal to find the stolen vehicle.

West Springfield Police Chief Thomas Burke said “[LoJack] will give us an opportunity maybe to get the car before it gets stripped or before it gets wrecked or it’s used in the commission of another crime.”

“Tracking devices are very effective in helping authorities recover stolen vehicles,” stated the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s “2010 Hot Wheels” report from Sept. 20, 2010.
The NICB’s report also lists the top ten most frequently stolen cars in Massachusetts. At the top of the list is the 2000 Honda Civic, then the 1994 Honda Acccord, with the 1990 Toyota Camry coming in third. To download the complete list go here. »

The West Springfield Police Department hopes knowledge of its ownership of this technology will help deter individuals from attempting to steal vehicles.

“You know that if you’re going to steal a car in West Side, you got a pretty good shot of having a cop on your trail pretty quickly,” said Mike Balise, vice president and owner of Balise Motor Sales in Springfield.